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Sri Lanka and New Zealand were forced to share the points in their Women’s World Cup fixture after heavy rain had the final say in Colombo on Tuesday, washing out play after the innings break.
The hosts had done the hard yards, posting a competitive 258-6 and fancying their chances with a spin-heavy attack on a pitch made for the slow bowlers. The total was also the highest in the Colombo leg of the competition so far.
“I thought Sri Lanka batted particularly well,” said New Zealand captain Sophie Devine.
“It was a good cricket wicket… Shame that the weather had to play its part in it. It would have been a really exciting chase.”
The innings belonged to lower order dynamo Nilakshika Silva, who threw caution to the wind to smash the fastest half-century of this World Cup.
Coming in at number six, she turned the tide with a whirlwind knock, reaching her fifty in just 26 balls, bettering the previous mark of 34 deliveries set by Bangladesh’s Shorna Akter earlier in the week.
It was also a new Sri Lankan record, eclipsing Nilakshika’s own milestone of 28 balls.
It was her fourth half-century in ODIs and she crossed the 1,000 run mark in the process, becoming only the eighth Sri Lankan to do so.
For once, the hosts didn’t have to lean solely on Chamari Athapaththu’s broad shoulders.
However, the captain returned to form with her 20th ODI fifty and stitched together an opening stand of 101 with Vishmi Gunaratne, who made a fluent 42.
That solid foundation allowed Hasini Perera (44) and Harshitha Samarawickrama (26) to consolidate before Nilakshika’s late fireworks took the innings from steady to sizzling.
Sri Lanka plundered 80 runs in the last 10 overs, with 16 coming off the final over as they finished with a flourish.
“We played good cricket. Unfortunately, we can’t complete the game,” Sri Lanka skipper Athapaththu said.
“Nilakshika is an experienced player. Last 12 months, she has been playing good cricket.”
New Zealand captain Devine picked up three wickets, but may have missed a trick by under bowling left-armer Bree Illing, who extracted lively bounce and pace to claim two scalps in just seven overs.
The Kiwis will stay in Colombo to face Pakistan on Saturday while Sri Lanka take on an in-form South Africa on Friday.
